Ed Mulholland/US PresswirePaul Martin practiced with the full Devils squad for the first time Sunday.Paul Martin isn’t planning on life without the Devils.

But the skilled defenseman, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, has contemplated that possibility.

He has seen Scott Niedermayer and Brian Rafalski leave to sign big contracts elsewhere and he wonders what his own future holds.

“I’ve seen it work both ways. I’ve seen guys leave and be happy and win. And I’ve seen guys leave and be miserable and lose. So I think it will come to how we do here down the stretch,” Martin told The Star-Ledger.

“I haven’t been thinking about it too much. But, saying that, it’s always in the back of your head where you would you like to play. We haven’t even talked (on a contract extension). The focus has been getting me back on the ice.”

That process moved ahead Sunday when Martin practiced with the Devils’ full squad at the Prudential Center. Although he won’t be ready to play in Monday night's game against the Boston Bruins, he now feels he's ahead of schedule in his lengthy comeback.

Martin hasn’t played since suffering a fractured left forearm when he was struck by a Bill Guerin shot on Oct. 24 in Pittsburgh. He will see the doctor again Monday.

If all goes well, the 29-year-old defenseman could be back in the lineup late this week. The target date remains Saturday against the Blues.

What should have been a pivotal season financially for Martin, turned into a lost season on the ice. He’s played just nine games and hasn’t scored a goal.

Martin is earning $4.5 million in the final year of his contract. He has to wonder if the Devils will be willing to offer a new deal that would put him in the salary class with defensemen such as Rafalski ($6 million), Jay Bouwmeester ($6.6 million) and Dan Boyle ($6.67 million).

“Some of it might depend on getting back to showing I can still play,” he said. “Eventually it’s going to be 100 percent, but it’s not going to be 100 percent by the time I start playing.”

Of course, with Martin’s skills and history, other clubs will be tempted to make some lucrative offers to lure him away from the Devils.

“I think I’ve been in the league long enough. People know what I can do,” he said. “And I’m sure when I’m back on the ice, they’ll say, ‘He’s fine.’ Hopefully it won’t take me too long to get into form. This is the longest I’ve gone without playing a game.

“I’m already of the understanding that it’s not going to be as easy as I think coming back and being as good as I’m capable of playing. I think that will be the frustrating part. It will be a struggle to do the best I can.”

General manager Lou Lamoriello won’t discuss possible contract negotiations. He has said that he views Martin returning to the lineup healthy the same as making a trade to acquire a top defenseman at the trade deadline.

So, will the final weeks of the regular season and the playoffs be Martin’s swan song with the Devils? Or will he stay with the club that drafted David Hale, Teemu Laine, Aleksander Suglobov and Matt DeMarchi before selecting Martin 62nd overall in the second round of the 2000 NHL entry draft?

“I don’t know. I’d like to stay,” Martin said. “I like the guys here. I’ve been here my whole career. I like the area. I like the way the organization is run. There are a lot of things I like here.”

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Martin Brodeur, who had one of his goalie masks painted to look like his original red helmet from 1992, wore it in practice Sunday to help break it in.

The Devils will wear their original red, green and white jerseys when they host the Penguins on St. Patrick's Day.